MASTERS DEGREE IN

rd
3
Term
TEACHING ENGLISH
Projects and Assignments in English

MEI11311
 Focused Communication Task

Activity 3: Design a task (Focused communication)

Sofía Margarita García Ríos

Master’s degree in English Language Teaching, IEXPRO University

MEI11311: Projects and Assignments in English

Teacher: Miss Andrea Juárez Gómez

Sunday, July 23rd, 2023.

 Focused Communication Task

Introduction
What is focus on form? Instead of teaching grammar in isolation, a focus-on-form method

to language teaching draws students' attention to grammatical forms in the context of

meaningful tasks, and the teacher's focus on form is inspired by students' difficulties either with

productivity or comprehension (Long, 2000). Focusing on form in communicative classes might

encourage students to use new, more appropriate language structures (Ellis, Basturkmen, &

Loewen, 2001). According to the communicative approach to language learning, speaking to

people in order to convey meaning is a necessary step in language acquisition. Interaction

becomes both the Method and the goal of education with the communicative method. The

following task calls for interaction, communication, and the transfer of meaning. Students will fill

in a conversation grid which has the advantage of allowing students to participate in real,

independent, and cooperative conversation without the direct engagement of the teacher.
 Focused Communication Task

CLASS Overview
Title Content
Details Task name: Conversation Grid (Personal Identification)
Subject: English A1
Number of students: 14
Teacher: Sofía García
Grade: 7th Graders (Ages 12)
Class Context Students in this class have an English proficiency level of A1. The group is made
up of 14 students who are in seventh grade, they are twelve years old. They take
a 50-minute class from Monday to Friday.
Objectives Students practice and improve their understanding of language patterns
(including what, when, where, and why questions and the normal responses),
vocabulary (as it relates to a certain issue, like hobbies. They elicit information
from others and record it on the grid.
Task Duration 30 minutes
Materials • Project a large grid on the board to explain the activity.
• Each student need conversation grid to record answers.
Procedure • Review language forms and key terminology that have already been
taught. For instance, if one of the questions asks for student input on a
hobby, get all the suggested hobbies up on the board so they are easily
available when students start working on their individual grids.
• Distribute the grid to each student and explain the assignment: "Today,
you will interview three of your classmates. You will fill out this form with
their responses to the questions you have.”
• Model the task with a volunteer.
• Monitor the process and be prepared to support students
• Evaluation is ongoing and informal. To assess students' conversational
skills (as well as writing skills from the grid), the teacher can take part in
the talks or simply listen.
 Focused Communication Task

Conversation Grid - Personal Information

Questions Student’s Student’s Name: Student’s Name: Student’s Name:
Name:
Example
What is your
first name? Valery
(Spell it please)
What is your
last name /
Stevens
surname?
(Spell it please)
How old are
12 years old
you?
Do you have a
nickname? Val
Which one?
When is your
September 18th
birthday?
2532 pine street,
What’s your
The Oaks
address?
neighborhood.
What is your
cell phone 6671 568035
number?
What is your e-
valery@yahoo.com
mail address?
What do you
do in your free Take piano lessons
time?
Do you have a
favorite singer
BTS
or group?
Who/ Which?
 Focused Communication Task

Conclusion
Communicative activities have real purposes: finding information, eliminating barriers, talking

about oneself, and learning about the culture. A class should include communication exercises even if it

is geared toward improving reading or writing skills. Furthermore, research on second language

acquisition (SLA) indicates that interactive learning environments, as opposed to traditional teacher-led

classes, are more beneficial to learning than typical classroom settings (Moss & Ross-Feldman, 2003). This

focused communication activity let students practice and develop their mastery of vocabulary language

patterns including what, when, where, and why questions and the typical responses), and grammar.

References
1. Moss, D., & Ross-Feldman, L. (December, 2003). Second-language acquisition in adults: From

research to practice. Weblink:

https://www.cal.org/adultspeak/pdfs/SecondLanguageAcquisitioninAdults.pdf [Read: July 20th,

2023

2. Universidad IEXPRO. (n.d.) Task-Based Learning. Chapter 3 Tasks and a focus on form

3. Universidad IEXPRO. (n.d.) Task-Based Learning. Chapter 4 Issues and Task Design